Friday, July 30, 2010

The Supreme Court (SC) has decided a labor case filed by sugar workers against the Central Azucarera de Tarlac (CAT) owned by the family of President Aquino, which decision ruled against the Cojuangco-Aquino clan’s sugar business, saying it acted in bad faith.

In a 10-page decision penned by Associate Justice Antonio Eduardo Nachura, the SC’s Second Division said the sugar mill acted in bad faith in slashing the 13th month pay of its employees and turned down the petition filed by CAT seeking the reversal of the Court of Appeals issued last year.

The appellate court had ordered the firm to revert back to its long-established formula in computing the employees 13th month pay.

The sugar mill cut the workers’ 13th month pay after staging a protest action six years ago. The protest left at least seven sugar workers dead and scores injured.

CAT claimed there had been an error in the computation of the 13th month pay of its employees which it claimed was discovered only by the management when the workers’ union – Central Azucarera de Tarlac

Labor Union — raised a question concerning the computation of their 13th month pay for 2006..... MORE